Cuomo considers gun law ‘corrections’

Cuomo considers gun law ‘corrections’
Governor says change should be made to ensure banned weapons can be used in film, TV productions
By Jimmy Vielkind, Capitol bureau reporter

ALBANY — With half the state’s counties passing resolutions denouncing New York’s new gun control law, top state officials are considering “technical corrections” to the measure to ensure that newly banned weapons can still be used in movies and TV shows filmed in New York.

“We spend a lot of money bringing movie production here, post-production here, so obviously we would want to facilitate that,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. “I don’t know that legally (a prop firearm) would even be classified as an assault weapon. … But people want certainty, and there’s no reason not to make a change like that to give people and an industry comfort.”

The gun control law, called the SAFE Act, broadened the definition of banned assault weapons and made magazines containing more than seven bullets unlawful. It also increased penalties for illegal gun possession, reduced public access to gun permit information and allowed mental health professionals to report concerns about a gun-owning patient harming himself or others.

The bill passed quickly last month, through a “message of necessity” that waived the legally required three-day waiting period. The Senate, led by a Republican-dominated coalition, passed the measure by a 43-18 vote less than two hours after the bill’s text became public. The Democrat-dominated Assembly passed the bill the next day, and Cuomo signed it.